


Starfish

by Arkada



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Adorable Nicky, Big sister Andy, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Rated T for one mention of stabbing, Team Bonding, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arkada/pseuds/Arkada
Summary: Turns out that when he doesn't have Joe curled around him, Nicky's a bit of a bed hog.Andy brings Nile in on a prank.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 110
Kudos: 733





	Starfish

**Author's Note:**

> Utterly delightful source material not mine (but if the owners don't want it, I'll take it off their hands).

“Hey,” Andy whispers, leaning into the bathroom where Nile’s brushing her teeth. “I gotta show you something.”

Nile widens her eyes at Andy in the mirror, and mumbles through a mouthful of toothpaste. “Right now?”

Andy’s face is bright with what Nile can only call _mischief_ , and she jerks her head to beckon Nile impatiently. “Before Joe gets back.”

“Okay…” Nile spits, rinses, and makes a mental note to come back and finish the job. She does _not_ want to find out how an immortal body deals with a tooth with a cavity in it.

Andy’s waiting for her in the hallway, practically vibrating with excitement. “Come on!”

She’s acting like a teenager at a sleepover, Nile thinks, pleasantly bemused. Six thousand years old and the woman still finds things to get giggly over.

Andy opens the door to Joe and Nicky’s room silently, and creeps in. Nile feels her eyebrows raising, but follows anyway.

They’re on slightly weird schedules right now, running a stakeout to gather intel before their next job. With only four of them to cover it, nobody’s on the same body clock as anyone else. So Joe’s out watching the target, Nile’s preparing for sleep, Nicky went to bed about five hours ago, and Andy’s just sleeping whenever she feels like it - no change there.

The curtains are open and the room is softly silver with moonlight. Joe and Nicky’s stuff is neatly packed, ready to leave in a minute flat even though they’re planning to be here for a few weeks. Nicky’s dead asleep, not stirring at their entrance, limbs sprawled wide across the bed to brush the wall on one side and hang off the other. Nile doesn’t think he could take up more of the bed if he tried.

“I’m amazed there’s room for Joe in there,” she observes in a whisper. “Looks like there’s barely room for _Nicky_.”

Andy shakes her head, _grinning_. “Watch this.”

She takes another step closer, and stretches out a hand to touch Nicky’s.

The reaction is instantaneous.

Nicky draws himself towards Andy’s hand like it’s a magnet. Still completely asleep, he curls into a compact little arc around the point of contact, his face and body turned to it. Nicky’s hand closes on Andy’s, and a line of tension Nile hadn’t even noticed in him disappears.

“Oh, that’s _adorable,_ ” she breathes.

Andy smiles smugly at Nile like she’s brought her into a little conspiracy. “See, plenty of room.” Andy gestures down the now-empty stretch of mattress behind the much smaller space Nicky’s occupying. “I’m not sure if he spreads out because he’s looking for Joe, or just because he can.” She shrugs. “Either way, give him a reason and he’s perfectly capable of sharing.”

“And he doesn’t notice you’re _not_ Joe?”

Andy shrugs again. “One person he’s loved and trusted for hundreds of years, or the other one? But he’s never tried to make out with me when I do this, so maybe he does notice.”

“You do this… a lot?”

“Well, it’s hilarious, and he doesn’t sleep without Joe often. I’ve got to take the chances when I see them.” Andy’s smile softens a little. “Quỳnh showed me this, the first time, you know.”

Nile pictures the four of them, three-quarters of a millennium ago, sleeping in tents somewhere out in absolute wilderness, and  Quỳnh wearing the same bright, mischievous grin as she shows Andy her new trick. Nile suddenly understands why, when Andy’s not really paying attention, she sometimes calls Nicky _little brother_. 

Andy looks Nicky over fondly for another moment before pulling her hand back. “Wouldn’t recommend you trying it yet,” she warns Nile. “Like I said, he’s known me for a long time. Booker tried it after only one or two decades and Nicky stabbed him before he woke up all the way.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Nile says, watching Nicky slowly spread himself back across the bed, unwinding until his feet are dangling off opposite corners, hand flopped over the edge. Andy tugs the blanket up to cover his shoulders again, and shoos Nile out the door.

A thought occurs to Nile as the door clicks shut behind her. “Hey, does Joe know Nicky does that? Or that you - exploit it?”

Andy’s grin returns. “Who do you think showed it to Quỳnh?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my betas, [Haldane](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Haldane/) and [Apples](https://appleslostherpassword.tumblr.com/).
> 
> [My tumblr](http://ao3-arkada.tumblr.com/) for people who like tumblrs.
> 
> Inspired by [this gifset](https://ao3-arkada.tumblr.com/post/627770869582807040/hawkaye-luca-marinelli-in-il-mondo-fino-in-fondo).


End file.
